U Kyaw Thu founder and President of the Free Funeral Service Society (FFSS) was presented with the 2015 Ramon Magsaysay Award by President Benigno S. Aquino III today at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines.
In electing Kyaw Thu to receive the 2015 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the board of trustees said on its website that it recognizes his generous compassion in addressing the fundamental needs of both the living and the dead in Myanmar—regardless of their class or religion—and his channelling personal fame and privilege to mobilize many others toward serving the greater social good.
They noted that in 2001, with a colleague in the movies, he founded the Free Funeral Services Society (FFSS) in Yangon, to help relieve the emotional and financial burden of the poor in properly burying their dead. Starting with just a single hearse, FFSS has grown to become not only a provider of free funeral services but also of a whole complex of social services. FFSS operates almost entirely through private donations and hundreds of volunteers.
In addition, the FFSS opened a charity clinic manned by fifty volunteer doctors and a full staff. With five ambulances and 24-hour medical emergency response service, it offers services from maternal and dental care to blood transfusions and eye surgeries. It has provided health care to over 143,000 patients since it opened in 2007. An FFSS school offers free vocational training courses, classes for children, review classes for academic qualification examinations, and a library. FFSS also mobilizes and provides humanitarian assistance to refugees, and to victims of war and natural disasters.